Hi Alistair. Interesting to hear about the Festool system. I have had the same problems with cheap trestles and a bit of ply on top to make a portable workbench. I discovered 2 things that changed all this for me and might be useful for others. The first was a portable MTF style top and the second was 2 Tough built job site trestles. I don't have a van and still have to use my poor old VW Golf as my workhorse, so getting everything I need in it has its challenges. The trestles fold completely up and the top just slides in on top of my tools. I can then use my track saw and the bench dogs to make my parallel cuts for shelves etc. I just use the MFT top and guide rail as the spacing of the holes means you can get a perfect 45 degree cut using the bench dogs. so I don't need to take my mitre saw with me anymore. The whole thing works really well and the trestles are really sturdy. They have side pieces that accept a 2x4 so you can really sturdy workbench onsite. Here are the links for both of them. www.cncdesign.co.uk/replacement-perforated-festool-type-mft3lp-top.html and www.toughbuilt.com/sawhorses The top is £30 plus delivery and the trestles start from £39.99 up about £67 for the all singing all dancing version which has adjustable legs. I bought my bench dogs from benchdogs.co.uk and they fit perfectly. I heard about the site from Peter Millard's channel. Sorry to hear about your Sons health issues. If I lived closer to you I would certainly be offering my services to help you with installs. Can't wait to see the video's on the last job you posted. I was trying to work out how you hid the cables on top of the shelf for the led lights. I know you routed a grove but couldn't work out how you then hid it on top of the shelf. I have had someone ask me to put lights in and they don't want to see any cables. Not something I have done before. All the best - Jamie
Hi Jamie thanks for those links, that’s a fair price on an MFT top. And the trestles look very sturdy. I’ve also been watching some of Peter’s videos on bench dogs and accessories. Nice to see they have a scale rule with flipstop now. I’m thinking to set up the new workshop with all MFT style worktops and free placement of benchdogs with rails etc.
For the lights you just have to drill carefully through the centre of the rear edge of the shelf (and back panel) and drill a hole up to meet it. It can be done with this jig www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk/product/cabinet-light-jig-296285 but it’s ridiculously expensive so we’ve been making do with a log kreg dril bit through the back (actually just bought a 200mm long 9mm still from RS components as the kreg bit was a bit short to reach centre of shelf on that job)
I saw a van like yours kited out where after removing material and tools the shelf system was configure into a cutting station arrangement and back into a shelf system at the end of the day. This is done in seconds .i thought it was brilliant same business as yourself .
david osullivan I’m always interested to see things like that. I don’t seem to find the to make such fancy things, usually keep things pretty basic (or spending perhaps too much money on an off the shelf solution!)
Probably very late to this party so not sure if it’s already been suggested but with regard to removing half your van shelving to fit the mv1000 vertically, why not just make enough space below the shelving and store it horizontally too. Then you can just pull it in and out easily. Eliminate the horizontal to vertical movement all together. I’ve only just scratched the surface on your videos but I’d just like to say it’s great content and very informative. I’ve just started up my own furniture business coming from an engineering background.
Dean Martin that’s an excellent idea! So obvious but I hadn’t really thought of putting it flat in that location! And thanks for the comments, glad you like the content.
Another good video Alister , always good to see hands on experience with the Festool gear 👍 And very interesting to follow your progress with handing over more of the work day to day to your team, something I've always struggled with and probably always will ..getting away being a busy fool as one of my more business savvy mates calls it !
I struggle with it too but have made some progress! Sometimes I wish I could just work on my own with no responsibility for others but then I step back and realise how grateful I am to share the load with others, especially now we have got through the first round of training/apprenticing and Brady and Graeme especially are really good at their roles and take some of the pressure off me. I have been working on having a team mindset, taking responsibility for ‘our’ mistakes and trying to make sure we all learn and improve together without a culture of blame.
@@Alastair_Freebird all sounds good Alister , I've trained 6 lads over the years and looking back on it I was probably going the best when I had 2 lads training ,one a year or 2 behind the other, it's always good to have the backup incase one goes for what ever reason and in most cases as they get better they'll have the itch to go it alone , my answer to that was to train them well and pay them better than anybody else . Keeping good lads is a very difficult balance.
Freebird Interiors I really liked your video. Practical tips and feedback from the field. One recommendation I would make is that you put the camera down and show some of the issues you are talking about, specifically the issue about the unfortunate position of the dog holes and the ways you can drag or lift the cart inside your van (or cannot due to space). Both are important real world issues and very visual. Best of luck with your son’s recovery and the growth of your business.
Hopefully following you helping me on a couple of questuons I can help you! Why don't you fasten two bolts into the top of the t-sot at the head of your worktop? Use the correct t-slot nuts and it should end up square. This is what I have done when making my own mft, I used a replacement mdf top and the holes were too far from the edge just like yours... so I bolted some extrusion onto the back part and it works great. Secondly, could you not lift the cart up like this guy does with his homemade? ruclips.net/video/t5YzIwK-g0E/видео.html If not, how about a fold down plywood ramp? That way you only need the verticle storage space. It woyld drive me mad tipping mine up just because all my boxes would get shook up as much as anything! Do you manage to fit most of your install tools in the cart? I hope you've found it makes you work more efficiently as well as safer! 😊 cheers for the vid. Matt
Matt Kindon thanks, great tips! I saw that homemade cart video ages some time ago, good to see it again. Good idea using bolts in the edge track. Although without being able to easily square their position with the dog holes in not sure it solves the problem of limited width capacity for right angle guided cuts.
It’s an ongoing project trying to refine my tools and fixings to have all I need in a limited number of systainers. It’s practically impossible I think, but I do have the main things in that grey systainer and beige tool caddy. Drill, hand tools, common fixings. Most of the other power tools are in a wheeled pull-along bag, plus the railsaw in another systainer.
@@Alastair_Freebird if you don't think that woyld work you could always fix a piece of mdf behind the back edge on top of the track so you have a lip that replaces the need for bench dogs. The holes are an equal distance from the edge of the worktop so this will be square to perpendicular bench dogs in holes 😊 it just buys you a bit more depth
It's hard to hand over when you invest such time and emotion in to your work. I work alone as I am so obsessive with the finish. Improving. Re Doing something if it's not quite right. But as I have got older it takes it toll...
sicpac66 I do sometimes feel like I’ve let go of more than I’d like by trying to grow the business. I think whatever level you choose to grow to you have to make a sacrifice somewhere.
With festool as usual the only con is price. It's just too much guys... 15-20% less would be a major factor in sales. But I'm guessing pple are paying at this rate so why change anything
Ok. I hear mixed opinions about this. I’m sure it is the ideal thing to do in terms of keeping everything in top condition long term. However it can be inefficient in terms of daily workflow. It would be interesting to compare the true long term cost of sometimes keeping paint loaded in the machine overnight, vs the cost of extra labour (and lost paint) constantly flushing and cleaning.
@@Alastair_Freebird sometimes i pass a week spraying all day. I use both systems (airless n air mix) and polyurethane components. that means a lot of cleanup I´v a small bucket reserved for clean thinner. When i end it at the end of the day i pass all the circuit with it and let the gund inside of it till next day even all the pipes with thinner inside. Spaygun requires little more care. I always desassemble all active parts (needle and tips) and clean it verry well. I ment, no visible ink al all. That mean everutime i use it its almos the first time use as new.
Hi Alistair. Interesting to hear about the Festool system. I have had the same problems with cheap trestles and a bit of ply on top to make a portable workbench. I discovered 2 things that changed all this for me and might be useful for others. The first was a portable MTF style top and the second was 2 Tough built job site trestles. I don't have a van and still have to use my poor old VW Golf as my workhorse, so getting everything I need in it has its challenges. The trestles fold completely up and the top just slides in on top of my tools. I can then use my track saw and the bench dogs to make my parallel cuts for shelves etc. I just use the MFT top and guide rail as the spacing of the holes means you can get a perfect 45 degree cut using the bench dogs. so I don't need to take my mitre saw with me anymore. The whole thing works really well and the trestles are really sturdy. They have side pieces that accept a 2x4 so you can really sturdy workbench onsite. Here are the links for both of them. www.cncdesign.co.uk/replacement-perforated-festool-type-mft3lp-top.html and www.toughbuilt.com/sawhorses The top is £30 plus delivery and the trestles start from £39.99 up about £67 for the all singing all dancing version which has adjustable legs. I bought my bench dogs from benchdogs.co.uk and they fit perfectly. I heard about the site from Peter Millard's channel. Sorry to hear about your Sons health issues. If I lived closer to you I would certainly be offering my services to help you with installs. Can't wait to see the video's on the last job you posted. I was trying to work out how you hid the cables on top of the shelf for the led lights. I know you routed a grove but couldn't work out how you then hid it on top of the shelf. I have had someone ask me to put lights in and they don't want to see any cables. Not something I have done before. All the best - Jamie
Hi Jamie thanks for those links, that’s a fair price on an MFT top. And the trestles look very sturdy. I’ve also been watching some of Peter’s videos on bench dogs and accessories. Nice to see they have a scale rule with flipstop now. I’m thinking to set up the new workshop with all MFT style worktops and free placement of benchdogs with rails etc.
For the lights you just have to drill carefully through the centre of the rear edge of the shelf (and back panel) and drill a hole up to meet it. It can be done with this jig www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk/product/cabinet-light-jig-296285 but it’s ridiculously expensive so we’ve been making do with a log kreg dril bit through the back (actually just bought a 200mm long 9mm still from RS components as the kreg bit was a bit short to reach centre of shelf on that job)
I saw a van like yours kited out where after removing material and tools the shelf system was configure into a cutting station arrangement and back into a shelf system at the end of the day. This is done in seconds .i thought it was brilliant same business as yourself .
david osullivan I’m always interested to see things like that. I don’t seem to find the to make such fancy things, usually keep things pretty basic (or spending perhaps too much money on an off the shelf solution!)
You probably know already but have you seen Ron paulks tool station and the smart toolbox, well worth a look if you haven’t seen it
Probably very late to this party so not sure if it’s already been suggested but with regard to removing half your van shelving to fit the mv1000 vertically, why not just make enough space below the shelving and store it horizontally too. Then you can just pull it in and out easily. Eliminate the horizontal to vertical movement all together.
I’ve only just scratched the surface on your videos but I’d just like to say it’s great content and very informative. I’ve just started up my own furniture business coming from an engineering background.
Dean Martin that’s an excellent idea! So obvious but I hadn’t really thought of putting it flat in that location! And thanks for the comments, glad you like the content.
Just a shout out to Timothy Wilmot who invented the original that the Festool is based on.
Harvey Smith I looked him up, interesting guy, thanks
Another good video Alister , always good to see hands on experience with the Festool gear 👍 And very interesting to follow your progress with handing over more of the work day to day to your team, something I've always struggled with and probably always will ..getting away being a busy fool as one of my more business savvy mates calls it !
I struggle with it too but have made some progress! Sometimes I wish I could just work on my own with no responsibility for others but then I step back and realise how grateful I am to share the load with others, especially now we have got through the first round of training/apprenticing and Brady and Graeme especially are really good at their roles and take some of the pressure off me. I have been working on having a team mindset, taking responsibility for ‘our’ mistakes and trying to make sure we all learn and improve together without a culture of blame.
@@Alastair_Freebird all sounds good Alister , I've trained 6 lads over the years and looking back on it I was probably going the best when I had 2 lads training ,one a year or 2 behind the other, it's always good to have the backup incase one goes for what ever reason and in most cases as they get better they'll have the itch to go it alone , my answer to that was to train them well and pay them better than anybody else . Keeping good lads is a very difficult balance.
Excellent real world review, great job.
George Oliver glad you thought so, I thought it could have been much better!
Freebird Interiors I really liked your video. Practical tips and feedback from the field. One recommendation I would make is that you put the camera down and show some of the issues you are talking about, specifically the issue about the unfortunate position of the dog holes and the ways you can drag or lift the cart inside your van (or cannot due to space). Both are important real world issues and very visual. Best of luck with your son’s recovery and the growth of your business.
Garnet Steen you are right, it annoyed me when I watched it back!!
Have the same problem with my gun I use plumbers tape on the thread's and it works fine
Are you filming yourself on video or a table?
Hopefully following you helping me on a couple of questuons I can help you!
Why don't you fasten two bolts into the top of the t-sot at the head of your worktop? Use the correct t-slot nuts and it should end up square. This is what I have done when making my own mft, I used a replacement mdf top and the holes were too far from the edge just like yours... so I bolted some extrusion onto the back part and it works great.
Secondly, could you not lift the cart up like this guy does with his homemade? ruclips.net/video/t5YzIwK-g0E/видео.html
If not, how about a fold down plywood ramp? That way you only need the verticle storage space. It woyld drive me mad tipping mine up just because all my boxes would get shook up as much as anything!
Do you manage to fit most of your install tools in the cart? I hope you've found it makes you work more efficiently as well as safer! 😊 cheers for the vid.
Matt
Matt Kindon thanks, great tips! I saw that homemade cart video ages some time ago, good to see it again. Good idea using bolts in the edge track. Although without being able to easily square their position with the dog holes in not sure it solves the problem of limited width capacity for right angle guided cuts.
It’s an ongoing project trying to refine my tools and fixings to have all I need in a limited number of systainers. It’s practically impossible I think, but I do have the main things in that grey systainer and beige tool caddy. Drill, hand tools, common fixings. Most of the other power tools are in a wheeled pull-along bag, plus the railsaw in another systainer.
@@Alastair_Freebird if you don't think that woyld work you could always fix a piece of mdf behind the back edge on top of the track so you have a lip that replaces the need for bench dogs. The holes are an equal distance from the edge of the worktop so this will be square to perpendicular bench dogs in holes 😊 it just buys you a bit more depth
It's hard to hand over when you invest such time and emotion in to your work. I work alone as I am so obsessive with the finish. Improving. Re Doing something if it's not quite right. But as I have got older it takes it toll...
sicpac66 I do sometimes feel like I’ve let go of more than I’d like by trying to grow the business. I think whatever level you choose to grow to you have to make a sacrifice somewhere.
How did you solve the gun issue?
With festool as usual the only con is price. It's just too much guys... 15-20% less would be a major factor in sales. But I'm guessing pple are paying at this rate so why change anything
Having 4 bench dog you can align the two tables with a rail then connect and Voila 😃
Carpatino true however it’s not that easy in practice to align to the precise accuracy that is the hallmark of the mft system
spray guns should always be cleaned after be used. Not even a single drop of ink inside or outside. It makes all diference.
Ok. I hear mixed opinions about this. I’m sure it is the ideal thing to do in terms of keeping everything in top condition long term. However it can be inefficient in terms of daily workflow. It would be interesting to compare the true long term cost of sometimes keeping paint loaded in the machine overnight, vs the cost of extra labour (and lost paint) constantly flushing and cleaning.
@@Alastair_Freebird sometimes i pass a week spraying all day. I use both systems (airless n air mix) and polyurethane components. that means a lot of cleanup I´v a small bucket reserved for clean thinner. When i end it at the end of the day i pass all the circuit with it and let the gund inside of it till next day even all the pipes with thinner inside. Spaygun requires little more care. I always desassemble all active parts (needle and tips) and clean it verry well. I ment, no visible ink al all. That mean everutime i use it its almos the first time use as new.
Hi After on yers how is good ???
Don’t buy it!!!!! instagram.com/tv/CCbBO_1DGiQ/?igshid=a78uuqqiihc9
@@Alastair_Freebird thx grazie
весь фильм - рожа автора. для чего ты показываешь свою рожу, да еще и крупным планом?